ASASI Internship Programme

Our story

ASASI is Kesatuan Penuntut Undang-undang Malaysia (KPUM)’s brand of human rights and activism. We aim to empower and engage with law students with regards to human rights through its initiatives.

This term, ASASI has its focus on issues such as police abuse of powers, freedom of speech, student activism, democracy and minority rights. In tackling those issues, we take a twofold approach: education and call to action. Besides informing students about the law and issue; we aim to provide opportunities for students to take action themselves through online campaigns and petitions.

However, we believe that promoting human rights is not just limited to online campaigns but a continuous development of the human. Therefore, ASASI also runs a human rights and student activism blog called ASASIkiniwhere students from all backgrounds could submit their writings or artwork related to human rights or other issues concerning our nation or region; and a summer internship programme called ASASI Internship Programme, which aims to expose law students to human rights advocacy work back home.

Why ASASI?

One word: exposure. Law students nowadays would mostly be on the lookout for big name firms, viewing the legal profession solely as a money-making platform. Now this isn’t wrong, but one must remember Section 42(1) of the Legal Profession Act 1976, which clearly states that the role of the Malaysian Bar (and all its members, i.e. lawyers) is to “uphold the cause of justice… without fear or favour”. As readers of the law, we are not only given a statutory duty to uphold justice, rule of law and condemn oppression, but we also have a higher moral obligation to actively promote these values in whatever way we can.

Through the various internship opportunities and activities that go beyond office hours, ASASI aims to provide such an exposure to every single intern within the span of two months. Although one may not be able to grasp everything during that short period of time, we believe that any exposure is good exposure as we aim to widen the perspectives of these participants to the many possibilities of branching out within the legal profession itself. Hopefully, we would also be able to see “graduates” of this programme searching for more of such internship opportunities to further hone their personal capacities, or to get involved with one of the many movements currently in existence.

We also most certainly wish to provide an opportunity for those already eager to pursue this area of legal practice, but who do not know where to begin.

That being said, for those already experienced volunteers in civil society initiatives and who have had prior experience, then perhaps this internship programme is not for you. Bear in mind that we should always aspire to train, equip and share with others.

Who Can Apply?

You must be a Malaysian law student:

(i) studying in the United Kingdom and Eire; or

(ii) studying in Malaysia under the UK Transfer Degree Programme (UKT); or

(iii) studying in Malaysia under the University of London International Programme (UOL).